Amarillo ISD School Emergency Procedures

Amarillo ISD is committed to providing a safe environment for students, staff, parents and visitors. We work closely with national, state, and local safety officials – police, fire, emergency medical services, and public health – in order to ensure our schools are well prepared for an emergency. Together, we have developed a comprehensive Emergency Operations Plan which serves as a guide to help staff and our public safety partners respond swiftly should a crisis occur in our schools.

As a parent, how can you prepare for a school emergency?

Provide accurate emergency contact information to your child’s school and notify the school if this information changes. If you have Internet access, go to the AISD website (opens in new window), and save it in your “favorites” for easy access. Connect with Amarillo ISD through our various communication channels.

What To Do During a School Emergency:

When a school emergency has occurred, parents can get important information and directions by visiting the home page of the AISD website (opens in new window) and tuning in to local television and radio stations for news alerts. During an emergency, we can anticipate that phone lines into the affected school(s) may be blocked. In order not to interfere with emergency responders, we ask that parents wait to receive important information from school officials before going to the school or scene of an emergency. You can be confident that accurate and timely information will be released to parents, the public, and the media during any emergency incident.

What is a Lock Out and how will I know if a school is in a Lockout?

Lockout is a practice that is used when there is a threat outside of the school building. This may be a police incident in the neighborhood or something similar. During a Lockout, students return inside and the school operates as usual. There will be increased situational awareness and all exterior doors will be locked as a precaution. During a Lockout, visitors will not be allowed to enter the building until the situation has been resolved.

What is Lock Down and how will I know if a school is in Lock Down?

Lockdown is a common school security practice used to secure a building. It will be implemented in the event of a campus emergency or crisis which requires students and staff to seek safety within the building. During this type of emergency, the safest place for students is inside the school building. The main entrance doors and all classroom doors will be locked if the school is in Lockdown. During a Lockdown, no one except uniformed law enforcement will be allowed to enter the building. This means that parents will not be admitted and students will not be released to parents while the school is under Lockdown.

What will my child experience during a Lockdown?

Lockdown begins with an announcement instructing all students to either remain in the room that they are in or immediately enter the nearest classroom which is manned by a staff member. Students remain in the locked rooms while police search the campus. When authorities are confident the building is secure, an all‐clear announcement will be made.

If the school is evacuated, how will I be able to locate my child?

Evacuation procedures are implemented during an emergency situation when it is determined that students and staff will be safer at a location away from the campus. Each school has identified an evacuation location. Each school also has a procedure for helping parents locate their child during an evacuation. Parents will be directed to a specific location where they will be required to show proper identification.  Remember, a student can only be released to a parent/guardian or an adult who is documented as an emergency contact. If you are a non‐custodial parent, you must be listed in your child’s emergency contact information as a guardian and you must show proper identification.

Amarillo ISD is prepared for an emergency.

As a parent, you should feel confident in knowing that we provide, on an annual basis, crisis management training to school administrators. Each school has key staff members with assigned roles and responsibilities to perform during an emergency. The school district’s Emergency Response Plan is modeled after the National Incident Management System (NIMS) that has been developed by the Department of Homeland Security. In addition, every school conducts emergency drills throughout the school year, so that students and staff are aware of the most effective and safe emergency responses.

If you see something, say something.

Ensuring school safety is everyone’s responsibility – staff, students, parents and the entire community. Please report any safety concerns you may have to your school principal.